Bio

I am a Research Assistant Professor at Northwestern University studying auditory neuroscience. I received my PhD in Communication Science and Disorders from the University of Pittsburgh with a focus on computational cognitive neuroscience.

My research focuses on the neurobiology and plasticity underlying speech processing using neurophysiological (EEG, pupillometry, peripheral nerve stimulation) and cognitive computational neuroscience approaches. My research goals are to develop neurobiologically-informed rehabilitative approaches for speech perception in noise challenges. My current research aims to develop a mechanistic understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying individual differences in speech perception in noise in aging.

I have secured over $250,000 from the National Institutes of Health to investigate speech perception challenges in aging and in individuals who complain of speech perception difficulties but have clinically-normal hearing thresholds.

I leverage cutting-edge neurophysiological methods, computational models, and machine learning algorithms to gain a better understanding of the neurobiological sources of speech perception challenges in the absence of overt hearing loss.

You can find me on Bluesky and X.

Education

• University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA
  PhD, Communication Science and Disorders, Computational Cognitive and Auditory Neuroscience | 2023

• The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX
  BS, Psychology, Biology Minor | 2015

• Austin Community College | Austin, TX
  AS, General Studies in Science | 2015

Funding

• Early Career Researcher R21
  Role: Co-Investigator (PI: Lau)
  July 2024 - June 2027 | $600,000
  NIH-NIDCD | R21DC022031 - The Role of Context in the Neural Processing of Speech in Autism Spectrum Disorder

• NRSA Individual Predoctoral Fellowship to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research
  Role: Principal Investigator
  May 2022 - April 2023 | $145,608
  NIH-NIDCD | F31DC020085 - Neural Mechanisms of Speech Perception in Noise in Middle-Age

• University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute Quantitative Methodologies Pilot Program
  Role: Co-Principal Investigator
  February 2022 - January 2023 | $25,000
  NIH-NCATS | UL1TR001857 - Decision Strategies in Speech Perception in Aging

• NRSA Institutional Training in Auditory and Vestibular Neuroscience
  Role: Trainee
  September 2019-August 2021 | $85,252
  NIH-NIDCD | T32DC011499